Massachusetts Photo Gallery
Photos taken on and near I-95. Want to share
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I-95 Reading to Lynnfield Sign Replacement
Project, 2020-2022
The notice to
proceed for this project came on February 26, 2020. Work includes
updating overhead and ground based signage from current Exit 38 in
Reading (along with advance signage for I-93 on I-95 South) to the I-95
North/Route 128 split (current Exit 45) in Lynnfield. As of July
2020 the contractor, Liddell Bros., had started placing its orange
future overhead sign placement tags along the roadway. In October the
process of getting core borings at the proposed new sign locations
started. Thanks to Charlene White of MassDOT, I obtained sign plans for
the project, here, heading north, are the 1-Mile advance signs, all with
the current sequential exit number:




And the 2-Mile
advance diagrammatic sign for the Route 128 exit on I-95 North:

Some other
interesting signs, there will be rare 2-miles advance sign for a
non-interstate for US 1/Route 129 on I-95 North and
there will also
be a 1/3 mile advance sign:
Here's some of
the overhead ramp signage plans:
Some of the
signage at the ramps between US 1, Route 129 and I-95 will include Route
128 shields, not allowed on other I-95 signs farther from the two route
split in Peabody, the current sign on the left does not have Gloucester,
only Portsmouth, NH:

Here's a typical
set of ground mounted ramp signs:
Here's a
combination Town Line / County Line / River Crossing sign:
I-95 Attleboro to Norwood Sign Replacement
Project, 2019-2021
The project got
the Notice to Proceed on May 1, 2019. Work, which includes installing
new VMSs and traffic cameras at interchanges is planned to be completed
in the Fall of 2021. This gallery will post sign plan images and current
sign photos, with new sign photos added as the project continues. In
August 2019 the contractor started placing orange tags at the future
sites of overhead signs. Work was suspended for the winter in December
2019 and was restarted in the spring. In July 2020 a notice appeared on
the MassDOT project site that the contractor was finished with placing
new regulatory and route signage and would begin constructing
ground-mounted sign foundations in mid-July. I drove the northern part
of the corridor on August 2, new reassurance marker signs were seen, but
not everywhere, and where placed, were not consistent. The first new VMS
was put up in October (see photo below). Here are photos of some of the
new signs and foundations, starting in early November and then earlier
in the year:
Photos taken on
November 8, 2020:
One of the new
style of reassurance markers put up after the US 1/Route 1A exit in
Attleboro, the first one.
An another one
just before the truck weigh station, if you are going to put two up,
perhaps after the station would have been better.
An orange
contractor tag for either a future Route 123 or I-295 advance sign prior
to the current overhead signs.
The orange cone
marks the site of a foundation for the future Exit 4 gore sign (to be
changed from 3 as part of the state's exit renumbering project) can be
seen behind the current one at the ramp to Route 123.
Another new
reassurance marker after the Route 123 exit.

Another
contractor tag for a future advance overhead sign for the I-295 exit,
with new guardrail installed to protect it.

Another tag can
be seen beyond the current exit sign for I-295.
This tag is for
and advance for the I-495 exit.
A new Rest Area
sign has been installed in Mansfield.
A foundation has
also been placed for the future Exit 12A gore sign behind the current
Exit 6A one at the I-495 South ramp.

While no
contractor tag is seen near the current I-495 North exit sign, there is
a new foundation for the future gore sign by the orange cone behind the
current one.

There is another
new foundation by the orange cone for the future gore sign at the South
Main Street exit in Sharon behind the current one.

Another orange
cone marks the site of the foundation for the future Exit 18 gore sign
for the US 1 exit, behind the current sequential version.
The first
overhead VMS to be installed as part of the sign replacement contract,
along with a new traffic camera approaching the Neponset Street exits.
The new
foundation for the future Neponset Street East gore sign can be seen
behind the current version.
Along with the
foundation for the future gore sign for Exit 23B to westbound Neponset
Street, seen to the left of the toppled orange cone.
Earlier Photos
This new
reassurance marker after the US 1 exit in Walpole is current MassDOT
specification, but placed on existing sign supports. There was no marker
after the Neponset Street exit.
This reassurance
marker was replaced also, duplicating a wide style marker previously
placed here just prior to, and thus unneeded, the Mechanic Street exit
in Foxboro.
A new Speed Limit
65 sign after the Mechanic Street exit.
This new wide
shield variety of reassurance markers is on new posts after the Route
140 exit in Mansfield.
Turning around at
I-495, there was no reassurance marker after the I-495 exit.
This is the first
of what turned out to be 3 new reassurance markers between Route 140 and
the South Main Street exit. A photo of the second and third ones
can be seen below in photos taken in February, all of the 'normal'
shield variety.
Another 'normal'
size shield after the South Main Street exit, but the number font is a
little different than the other versions. A sign placement tag can be
seen beyond the sign. Taking the US 1 exit...
A new North US 1
reassurance marker can be seen before a quite ugly looking North I-95
trailblazer, the South version seen in the distance, and...
A closer look at
a better looking sign. Finally, new signage along Coney Street in
Sharon:
The new sign
contrasts with the old guide/paddle sign that will replaced during the
project. There was no reassurance marker after the on-ramp on I-95
North. I did not spot any new sign foundations but it did appear ones
were being constructed for the new variable message signs.
Earlier photos of
a few tag placement photos south of I-295 taken in March 2020:
The tag for the
future 1-Mile advance sign for the Route 123 exit is seen behind the
current overhead support post.
Tags on both
sides just after the current overhead support posts at the Route 123
West exit ramp.
The orange tag
for the future 1-Mile advance overhead sign for the Route 1A interchange
is well past the current sign.
The tag for the
1/2 mile advance sign for the North Route 1A exit is just behind the
current sign. Note the mile marker, this exit will maintain its current
number, despite it being closer to the the Mile 1 marker.
The tags at the
ramp to North Route 1A, the left hand is hidden, are slightly behind the
current overhead gantry.
The tag seen on
the right is just inside the Massachusetts border and marks the spot for
future overhead signs for the first 2 Rhode Island exits, note the older
design of the signs, these were not replaced during the last I-95 sign
replacement project. (See sign plans for these signs below, which may,
or may not have new exit numbers when put up.)
Here are a few
more examples of tag placements taken in February 2020:
Heading North
after the I-295 exit in North Attleboro:
An orange
contractor tag marking the position of the future 1/2 Mile advance sign
for the To Route 152 exit.
The tag here
shows that the future overhead sign at the To Route 152 exit will not be
bridge mounted.
The orange tag
here is for the 1-Mile advance overhead for the I-495 exit in Mansfield,
a significant distance after the current sign.
The two tags
before the ramp to I-495 South again show the new overheads will not be
bridge mounted.
The wide orange
tag seen between the I-495 bridge is for the location of a future
traffic camera.
The tag for the
future 1/4 Mile advance sign for the Route 140 South exit in Foxboro is
beyond the current sign.
The contractor
tags (left side is hidden) mark the location of the future overhead
signage at the ramp to Route 140 South. The future exit numbers will be
13 A/B.
The tag for the
future overhead exit sign for Route 140 North.
The North I-95
reassurance marker after the Route 140 exits is fairly new, the
replacement of a former faded wide shield version (see below for one
still standing).
The orange tag in
this photo marks the future location of the 1-Mile advance sign for the
South Main Street exit in Foxboro.
This is the
second replacement reassurance marker between Route 140 and South Main
Street, placed on the existing posts for a faded wide shield version.
The orange tag
marking the future location of the 1/2 mile advance sign for South Main
Street.
There is only one
tag at the ramp to South Main Street despite the fact that there will be
a 2-Mile advance sign for the US 1 exit, perhaps it will be at another
location. The new exit signs (see plans below) will have both S. Main
Street and Mechanic Street (currently the exit text heading south) on
the overhead signs.
The one remaining
wide shield reassurance marker, badly faded, headed north, the orange
tag behind it marks the future location of the 1-Mile advance sign for
the US 1 exit.

The orange tag
here marks the future location of the 1/2 mile overhead sign for the US
1/To Route 27 exit in Sharon.

The tag for the
future sign ahead of the ramp to US 1. The new signs will have To Route
27 in both directions, currently only northbound.

Another
replacement reassurance marker after the US 1 exit. I am assuming that
this will be replaced again under the current sign replacement contract.

Another wide tag
marking site of future traffic camera. Before the Neponset Street exit
there are a pair of similar tags which I believe are for a future VMS
gantry.
Heading South
from the I-93 "128" interchange in Canton:

Tags are on both
sides of the road (right side obscured) for the future overhead sign
gantry at the ramp to Neponset Street west in Westwood.
The placement of
this tag indicates the new overhead sign for the second Neponset Street
exit will not be bridge mounted.
This tag is for
the future 1-Mile Advance overhead sign for the Coney Street exit
heading south into Sharon.
The tag for the
future 1/2 Mile Advance overhead, a photo near the exit ramp is below.
From August 2019:

Orange tag behind
current 1-Mile Advance sign for Neponset Street exits on I-95 South in
Westwood.

Two tags further
south mark future site that will have new 1 1/2 Mile Advance sign for US
1 exit as well as 1/4 advance for Coney Street, ramp seen in distance.
The contractor
tag for the future US 1 exit sign is between the current sign and the
bridge carrying US 1 North traffic.
The tag for the
future 1/2 mile advance sign for Mechanic Street is behind the current
overhead sign.
The two
contractor tags are behind the current gantry for the 1/2 mile advance
for the Route 140 North exit in Foxboro.
Two more tags
mark the site of the future I-495 exit signs behind the current
overheads.
The tag here is
for the future site of the 1/2 mile advance overhead for the To Route
152 exit in North Attleboro(ugh).
The contractor
tag for the 1/2 mile advance overhead for the I-295 South exit has been
placed before the noise wall in Attleboro (the remaining signs were put
up 2 years ago and will not be replaced (see below). Turning around and
heading north...

Two other tags
heading north at the ramp to Neponset Street eastbound in Norwood.
SIGN
PLANS
Sign Plan Photos
courtesy of Charlene White at MassDOT, one example of advance and
ramp signage, plus other interesting signs:
Exit 1 (SB only)

Exits 2 A/B:


The ramp sign for
Route 1A South will add Newport Ave to the text.
Exits 3 A/B

The Advance
signage northbound will now list S(outh) Attleboro, same as southbound,
instead of Norton which will go on an auxiliary sign.

South Attleboro
replaced Norton on the sign for Route 123 West.
Exit 4


These signs have
already been placed on I-95 South as part of the I-295 Ramp Widening
Project completed in 2018.
Exit 5


Exits 6 A/B


The I-495 North
control city has been changed to Marlboro from Worcester. Taunton and
Lowell will be destinations on the auxiliary signs.
Exits 7 A/B


Exit 8


The plans have
Mechanic Street/Foxboro added to the overhead signs, this was previously
on ground-mounted auxiliary signs.
Exit 9

The 2 Mile
Advance signs are new. Typically, MassDOT does these for Interstate
exits only, perhaps with Gillette Stadium as a destination for this exit
they made an exception.
Exit 10 (SB only)


As with Exit 8, a
new destination, Norwood Street in Sharon, was added to this sign,
separated from the original by a line.
Exits 11 A/B


Other signs
The Mass.
Guide/Paddle signs on approaching secondary roadways will have mixed
case lettering:

The overhead sign
for I-95 North on Neponset Street in Norwood will include a reference to
I-93:

The sign
replacement project will update the exits signs for the first 2 Rhode
Island exits which haven't been updated since the 1970s:

Following recent
MassDOT practice, the exit gore signs on ramps from intersecting
secondary roadways will be replaced by signs like these:
The sign detail
plans came with this interesting note: Is MassDOT planning to revive its
Milepost Exit Conversion Project before the I-95 project is over? Or was
this note that first appears with the sign plans for the Rhode Island
exits due to the numbers possibly changing next year that was mistakenly
carried over to all the Massachusetts exit plans?

Photos of
existing signs coming soon....

The existing
1-Mile advance sign southbound in Attleboro, already listing S.
Attleboro as a control city.

The ramp signage
at the Route 123 exit.
Misc. Photos - Latest from I-95 (and I-295) in Maine which is putting up
new travel time signs, some looking similar to those in Massachusetts,
courtesy of vlam557:

First is on I-295
North before Exit 11 (Bucknam Road)

Further north on
I-295 after Exit 17.

This one is on
I-295 South near the Falmouth Spur Exit, different from others with only
1 destination and a wider bar type VMS, one of the messages seen so far
is 'No Delay'.
This one is
further south on I-295 after leaving Freeport.

Now on the Maine
Turnpike/I-95 North, this sign just after the I-195/Saco exit will
provide times to Augusta via I-295 and I-95.
This sign a few
miles further north offers travel times to Freeport on I-295.

This sign on I-95
South nearing the end of the Maine Turnpike after the York Toll Plaza
provides the time to the New Hampshire border.

This photo,
courtesy of WGME is of a new sign to provide times to Saco on I-95 South
in Augusta.
NEW, another
photo taken after Exit 19 headed south on I-95/Maine Turnpike:
Taken on 8/15/18
MassDOT placed
new overhead exit signage for the new two-lane ramp for the I-295 exit
in Attleboro in early 2017. The signs are a preview of what the rest of
the new I-95 signage will look like after the MassDOT replacement
project in 2020 (better photos without the glare from August 2018:

The exit ramp
itself now has a new I-95 pull through as well as I-295 exit sign:
Taken on 8/21/16
An older overhead
guide sign for I-95 South, with button copy shield numbers, at the
Neponset Street exit in Canton. These signs are not due to be replaced
until 2019:
Taken on 7/16/2016 (Updated 1/2/17):
The new exit sign
for Route 2 in Lexington now with 1 destination, see old photo below:
Here's photos of
the previous last set of new signs to be put up between Newton and
Lexington at the MA 2 interchange where bridge construction prevented
the signs at the exits from being upgraded in 2015. Here's the look at
the new (and old) sign for MA 2 West on I-95 North, notice a problem?
The other signs
for MA 2 West just list Fitchburg. Things are stranger with the new
southbound exit sign for MA 2 East:
The destination
or control city for the 1 and 1/2 mile signs is Boston, not only are
there 2 destinations instead of one, but they are completely different.
Apparently the sign makers just duplicated the text on the previous
signs and did not take into account what was on the other signs for the
exit. This was fixed in December 2016 with the sign now reading Boston
(photo to come). The new overhead gantries on MA 2 may, or may not, have
the old signs, they do list the previous signs control cities, however
that are different from the rest of the signage put up at surrounding
exits in 2014/2015. Here for I-95 South on MA 2 West:
The other signs,
as seen below, list Providence, RI. For the MA 2 East exit for I-95
North, Peabody, and not Portsmouth, NH, is used as a control city:
Also, notice the
interesting trailblazer for North MA 128 or should it be MA 128 North?
Previously Taken on 6/12/2016:
Photo of newly
placed advance sign for MA 4/MA 225 exit on the on-ramp from US 3 South
in Burlington:
This is the I-95
related signage approaching from MA 4 South/MA 225 East in Lexington,
first the Jct Trailblazer:
Notice how large
the 128 shield is vs. the I-95 one. Here's the corresponding Mass. Guide
or paddle sign:

Ramp signage for
I-95 along MA 30 East in Weston:
Taken 1/9/2016:
An update to the photo from Westwood below, MassDOT has added Guide or
'Paddle' signs to the new southbound on-ramp at the University Avenue
interchange:

This image is
taken at the intersection of University Ave., Blue Hill Ave. and the new
on-ramp. Unlike, the trailblazers, this does mention I-93 (but not US 1
or MA 128 which also share the roadway).

The top sign only
mentions I-95, not I-93 (or US 1 or MA 128). The on-ramp is no separate
from Blue Hill Avenue and a noise barrier has been placed along the
southbound side.
Here's the guide
sign, through the glare, seen from the other direction, for the I-95
South On-Ramp (NEW taken 3/26/16):
Further down
University Avenue, new guide signs have also been placed as part of the
reconstruction of the street through a new retail complex, University
Station. New guide signs have been placed at the University Ave./Canton
St. intersection to guide people to guide southbound drivers to the
Dedham St. on-ramp to I-95 South:

There are also a
couple on Canton Street to direct traffic to I-95 North, which also
include an I-93 shield as well:

This is only one
a few guide signs that refer both to I-93 and I-95. Notice also that the
I-95 destination of Dedham is different from 'Portsmouth, NH' listed at
the guide signs at the interchange above.

These were the
two new trailblazers set up first at the nearly completed reconstructed
on-ramp to I-95 South in Westwood before more signage was added in
December 2015. Going both straight or left takes you directly onto I-95.
Also, notice there are no signs for US 1, Route 128 or I-93. The
previous guide signs and trailblazers had both I-95, 128 and I-93
shields.
Bonus Photo,
courtesy of AARoads Forum Member PHLBOS:
New on-ramp guide
sign, part of the I-95 Newton to Lexington Sign Replacement Project.
This will be the standard MassDOT signage (size and using mixed case
lettering for destination text), replacing the iconic paddle sign, going
forward.
A.
Sign Replacement Project, Peabody to Georgetown (2013-2015)
This project is
basically (98%) complete as of November 2015. All the overhead and
ground-level signage has been installed. The only remaining work has to
do with new VMS assemblies. Traveling north from the MA 128 exit in
Peabody--
The first new
overhead is the one mile advance sign for MA 114. The support covers
both directions of the highway and supports southbound signage for the
US 1 exit, see below.
There is no
separate sign from MA 114 West until the exit itself:
This overhead
assembly replaced one with signs that had no exit number and had the
wrong directions for MA 114, listing North and South.
Here's the final
new overhead for MA 114 West:
The next exit
northbound is for MA 62, like for MA 114, there is no southbound exit:
You can also see
a new North I-95 reassurance marker beyond the sign support. The next
sign is the 1/2 mile advance for MA 62:
Just beyond is a
distance sign that includes the miles to Kittery, ME. The next sign is
not for MA 62:
But rather the
one mile advance for the next exit for US 1. The previous US 1 sign was
on an overhead panel with the MA 62 exit sign seen in the distance, and
below:
It had started to
rain at this point and the next few photos have some water spots on
them. Here's the next sign:
More steady rain
started as I approached the US 1 exit itself:
It appears the
old button copy I-95 shield signage is still in place on US 1 itself
beyond the gore sign. Here's the reassurance marker beyond the exit:

The rain became
so heavy at this point I had to stop taking photos until I got to Exit
52 (The following were taken in January 2016):

This
ground-mounted sign beyond the US 1 interchange shows the upcoming
Topsfield exits, fortunately not using exit numbers which will be
changing over the next 2 years.

This is the
1-Mile advance for the next exit, Endicott Road. The 1/2 mile advance
can be seen in the distance and below--

And finally, the
exit signage at the on-ramp to Endicott Road:

The new signage
for the next exit, Topsfield Rd (which actually is in Boxford), appears
right after the I-95 North Reassurance Marker:
There is also a
new VMS sign on the overhead supports seen in the distance which precede
the 1/2 Mile Advance sign:

Before the
Topsfield Rd exit, there is a newly placed destination distance sign
which appears to have a larger font than its predecessor:

Here's the exit
signage as can be seen in the distance above:
A slightly better
view than was taken back in September:

The rain
started to lighten up and I could take photos of the next reassurance
marker:

The next exit is
for MA 97:

The exit is just
beyond the Mile 75 mile post, meaning the future exit number should be
76. Here is the 1/2 mile advance for MA 97 South:

Again, no mention
of MA 97 north until the exit itself:

This exit is used
by attendees of the Topsfield Fair coming up next month. Here's the last
MA 97 overhead:

The last exit
covered by the signage project is for MA 133 in Georgetown. Here's the
one mile advance:

Another I-95
South reassurance marker is along for the ride. Here's some other
ground-level signage:

I do not know
whether the Weigh Station sign is new, but the blue service sign was
replaced as part of the project. Back to overheads:

The have also
installed another reassurance marker beyond the on-ramp from the Weigh
Station. The exit signage for MA 133:

Got a little too
close for this photo. The last new overhead northbound:

I turned around
here. The I-95 signage on MA 133 consisted of both a standard Mass.
Guide (Paddle) Sign:

And a large
ground-level BGS:

Starting back
Southbound:

The first
overhead has both the MA 97 1 Mile Advance Sign and a Advisory Sign for
the upcoming Weigh Station.

This was quickly
followed by the first new I-95 South reassurance marker. The next
overhead:

Is for MA 97
North only, followed by the overhead signage at the exit:

The last MA 97
overhead heading south:

The next exit is
Topsfield Road:

Beyond is a
destination mileage sign with both Boston and Providence listed. I did
not get a photo of the 1/2 mile advance.

The newly
installed signage on Topsfield Road reflects that seen above for MA 133:
and the entrance
ramp signage is just as big, even though the amount of traffic is much
less at this interchange:
Another I-95
South Reassurance marker, after the Topsfield Road exit:
But here's the
exit signage as it started to rain again. The following photos were
retaken in January 2016:

Here's
the new rain-spot less photo of the 1/2 mile advance for Endicott Road:

This overhead is
paired with a new VMS display. The final overhead for Endicott Road:

Prior to the US 1
Exit there are a pair of signs informing drivers they should stay on
I-95 to get to Route 128:

The next exit is
for US 1 which features different text than the northbound exit signs:

Here's the 1/2
Mile Advance:

The exit signage
is accompanied by a pull through for I-95 South:

Which includes
the first notice about the upcoming MA 128 exit. The next reassurance
marker, back in September:

And the 1 Mile
advance signage for the next exit southbound, Centre Street in Danvers:

Followed by the
1/2 Mile advance:

Here's one of the
large text destination mileage signs as seen in the distance above:

Interesting to
know Boston is exactly 50 miles from Providence, based on this sign
anyway. The last Centre Street overhead:

Here's the last
new I-95 South reassurance marker:

The next exit is
for US 1, most of the diagrammatic signs for this exit were replaced a
couple years ago. Here's one example of these signs, there is a US 1
shield there somewhere:

The last new sign
is at the US 1 South exit ramp:

The overhead sign
on the left replaced a sign referred to having a 'Top Hat' design for
the I-95 and 128 shields were in a smaller panel placed above the wider
rest of the sign with the control cities.
B.
Sign Replacement Project, Newton to Lexington (2012-2015)
Most Recent
Photos, Taken September 10, 2015
Work has
officially been completed on this project as of late July. The project
page, though, says that a some punch list items, most likely the still
to be installed overhead signs at the MA 2 bridge under construction
(see below), remain. All the remaining route shield trailblazers and
reassurance markers have been added and older route signs have been
removed. Here are a couple more reassurance markers north of MA 2:
This has a
large MA 128 shield, and appears to be too close to the auxiliary sign
for Hanscom Field.
The next set of
reassurance markers--
Features a
smaller MA 128 shield, I did not get to travel southbound to see if this
pattern is repeated in the other direction.
Previous Photos, Taken July 5, 2015
Here's the first
new reassurance markers northbound following the MA 9 exit:
Project specs are
following those of the latest re-signing project, I-93 in Boston in
having directional banners for both route shields, not like the last
I-95 resigning project from Lexington to Woburn where only one was used.
There seems to have been no attempt at cutting down foliage to better
the view of the new signs, as this next assembly at the I-90/Mass Pike
exit proves:

New trailblazers
have also been put up along the Mass Pike/MA 30 off-ramp from I-95
North. Here is the first:
Complicating
factors, besides the foliage, is the lack of removal of the previously
existing MA 128 sign. The next trailblazer is easier to see:
They have also
added an auxiliary MA 128 North sign approaching the split between the
MA 30 exit and I-95 North on-ramp:
The next
reassurance assembly northbound is beyond the MA 30 on-ramp:
There was also a
new reassurance marker assembly following the US 20 exit:
There was also
another one after the Totten Pond Road interchange, however it was not
clearly visible due to foliage. I did not venture farther north than MA
2 (Exit 29) to see if there were any additional new markers. I did
confirm though that this sign, on the MA 2 bridge, is the last old
overhead sign remaining in the project area:
I left I-95
heading west on MA 2 to check out the reconstruction project at Crosby's
Corner. Photos are on my Misc. Mass. Highway
Photos Page.
Heading
southbound from MA 2A in Lexington the first new reassurance marker was
found just after the merge:
Another new one
was also posted after the Trapelo Road interchange in Waltham:
Plant vegetation
not as much an issue here as with the next blue service sign. They have
also installed a new marker beyond the Winter Street/Totten Pond Road
interchange:

As they have also
placed one after the US 20 exit, though there is some foliage issues
with this one:

The next marker,
beyond the I-90/Mass Pike exit is different than all the rest...

Sporting a
smaller MA 128 shield than the others. However, it's back to the larger
shield for the last new marker southbound beyond the MA16 exit in
Newton:

I also took some
new photos of overhead signage along the Add-A-Lane
Project section below.
Previous Photos
(Taken May 9, 2015)
The last set of
signs to go up for the I-90/Mass Pike and MA 30 Exit were the 1 mile
advance signs prior to the MA 16 exit. The other new signs to be placed
since my last visit are this overhead auxiliary sign:
The 1/2 mile
advance sign at the MA 16 Exit:

And those along
the long Exit 23-24-25 ramp from I-95/128 North (the original alignment
of 128 prior to the Mass Pike being built)--
There is was also
new signage at the I-90 Off-ramp (including 'newish' for Logan
Airport)--
The last set of
signs feature an interesting arrow for the I-95 On-Ramp:
There were also
two new advance signs for the US 20 exit:
Both for the 1
Mile and for the 1/2 mile, both with truck restriction regulatory signs
on the left:
Another overhead
sign placed since my last visit was the 1 and 1/4 Mile advance for
Totten Pond Road--
A new
ground-mounted distance signs now features distances to MA 2 and
Portsmouth, NH:
A solitary small
1/2 Mile advance sign for Trapelo Road sits on this overhead gantry
northbound:
The last set of
new signs northbound are advances for the MA 2 exit, here's the one mile
at Trapelo Road--
And here's the
1/2 mile advance sign for MA 2 East:
And the final
overhead has the exit signage for MA 2 and the advance for MA 2A:
The only sign not
replaced northbound can be seen in the distance, at the ramp to MA 2
West. This is mounted on the MA 2 bridge currently under construction
and a replacement may not go up until work is completed.
The only other
new sign northbound was another distance sign following the MA 2 Exit,
in this instance Portsmouth, NH has been replaced by Salisbury:
Heading back
south, an additional 1 Mile advance sign has been placed on the ramp
from US 3 South to I-95 South:
There has also
been a new 1/2 Mile advance put up since my last trip through:
The temporary
ground level signage still remains though. Here's the signage at the
interchange:
And here's
another photo of
the Exit 31A ramp signage, this time with the old sign removed:
Again, at the MA
2 interchange there is a still an old bridge-mounted sign for MA 2 East,
possibly also not placed due to bridge construction. One of the few
remaining new overheads not photographed southbound is for the MA 16 /
Grove St exits, immediately after the I-90 on-ramp:
The other is the
1/2 mile advance for the MA 16 East and Ramp exits for MA 16 West:
The last new
overhead is the 1/2 mile advance for MA 9 West (the Exit 20 tab for the
previous 1 Mile Advance sign has not been fixed yet to properly display
Exit 20A/B)--

The project was
listed as 88% complete at the end of March, and is still set to be
completed this summer.
PREVIOUS PHOTOS
(Taken November 15, 2014)
One of the
overhead signs that has been installed since I last traveled through,
the one mile advance for MA 2A and the only remaining service plaza on
North I-95/128.
This is the
signage at the exit ramp, beyond it you can see a new overhead gantry
crossing the both sides of the highway, this replaces one which had an
old I-95 pull through sign with Peabody and NH-Maine as the control
cities.
The sign gantry
is only used for the signs along the C/D lanes northbound, not for any
signs on I-95 either north or southbound. The MA 2A West exit sign in
the distance had been replaced in 2013, see link, below.
These signs were
placed earlier in the year for the MA 4/MA 225 exit, where I turned
around, as you can see from the mile marker, this should be Exit 49 when
under the future mile post number system.
This appears to
be the standard sign set up at on-ramps along this section of I-95. A
trailblazer for Route 128 and a ground mounted sign for I-95,
Providence, RI for South, Portsmouth, NH for North:
Here's a closer
look at the I-95 ramp sign:
Looking
at new signage southbound, there are new overheads at the MA 2 and MA
2A exits, some harder to see due to the sun angle, unfortunately:
While the advance
signs had been replaced earlier this year, these exit signs are of more
recent vintage. As are these at the MA 2A East ramp:
The next set of
advance signs for MA were also put up earlier in the project, these were
new, however:
The sign gantry
here also crosses both directions of the highway and includes a 1 Mile
advance for the next exit, Trapelo Road. The MA 2 East exit sign has not
been replaced.
The next new
overhead, is the 1/2 mile advance for Trapelo Road, the signage at the
exit ramp is similar to MA 2A (image updated 7/5/15):
In that the
gantry also has an advance sign for the next exit, here for Winter
Street/Totten Pond Road. The remaining Exit 27 signs were put up earlier
under the current sign contract, or the contract that rebuilt the bridge
over I-95 at the interchange. There were no new signs to report until
the US 20 exit (replaced by better photo from 5/9/15):

Here the US 20
exit sign is paired with a I-90/Mass Pike 2 Mile advance sign. The
previous sign is still up and can be seen on the bridge in the distance.
The next new I-90
sign is paired again:
This time with
the MA 30 advance sign, this pairing continues until the I-90/Mass Pike
exit:

The next assembly
pairs MA 30 with the next set of exits for MA 16:
Plus throw in
signage for the only southbound service plaza as well. There is another
new set of MA 16 overheads as well:
The last new sign
southbound is the first advance for MA 9:
The Exit Tab is
supposed to read 'Exit 20 AB' according to a MassDOT sign engineer, no
word on when the sign will be revised. The project was 80% complete as
of the end of first week in November. The contract is supposed to be
complete by this winter.
To see photos
taken earlier this year along I-95, visit this post on the Sure,
Why Not Blog.
Taken in October
2013--

New cantilever
overhead was installed for the 1 Mile Advance sign on I-95/128 North
just after the MA 9 Exit.

Another new
overhead had appeared for the Grove St exit. The previous sign had text
for the MBTA Station, this is now on a separate auxiliary sign installed
between the sign above and that below. Will try to get photo next time
through.
Image of second
new overhead for Grove St, the new Mass Pike signage in the distance,
closer view below, and one of MassDOTs new 'Real Time Traffic' VMS
signs.
The new overhead
cantilever sign for the I-90 Mass Pike exit has a logo instead of text
for the Turnpike, a yellow Toll Road banner, but like its predecessor
sign, no mention of what Exit 23 is for, Recreation Rd, nor an 'Exit
Only' banner needed after MassDOT reconfigured the interchange a couple
months earlier.
While new
overheads have not been installed along the off-ramp for the Mass
Pike/MA 30 exit, new ground-mounted auxiliary signs for North I-95
have.
The last new
overhead exit sign northbound at this time was for the US 20 Exit in
Waltham, there also reconstructing the interchange along US 20 and
installing new signage as well with this ongoing project.

New signage along
I-95 South near the Mass Pike exit was limited to ground-mounted
auxiliary signage such as the above indicating you can reach Worcester
heading west along with Albany, NY.
If you're
curious, the next sign replacement project for I-95 is No. 608204, which
will upgrade the signs from the RI Border to current Exit 11 in Canton,
this project is not set to start though until the Fall of 2018.
B. I-95
Add-A-Lane Project Canton to Needham (Photos Taken 2010-2018)
Taken along the
Dedham - Needham Stretch, between Exits 15 and 20, between 2014 and 2018
This MassDOT
diagram details the work completed in the Needham section and the ramps
referred to below:
MassDOT has stated on its Add-A
Lane Project Page that there are only punch list items left to be
completed and that it will no longer update the site after October 12,
2018. Therefore, the project is largely finished.
Completed Project
Photos Taken October 28, 2018:
All work except
for landscaping and a few punch list items remain to be completed by the
spring of 2019. All traffic lanes are open and in their final
configuration. Starting northbound:

Traffic about to
enter the final section of the Add-A-Lane Project work zone. Signs
indicating the former lane drop have been removed.

A new
post-interchange distance sign marks the final step in completion of
this section of I-95 North approaching Kendrick Street.

One of the
remaining punch list items is adding logos to these still blank blue
services signs prior to the Kendrick Street exit.

Four lanes of
traffic travel under VMS sign gantry, this sign has not been activated
yet.

Approaching the
Kendrick Street bridge. The Exit only arrow on the Highland Avenue exit
sign now points to an open lane.

With all lanes of
traffic open construction barrels and temporary signage has been removed
approaching Highland Avenue.

New right lane
parallels C/D ramp from Kendrick Street to Highland Avenue.

Both four lanes
of traffic and C/D lanes head under Highland Avenue Bridge.

View after
Highland Avenue prior to the merge from the northern C/D lanes.

The first of 2
new North I-95/Route 128 reassurance markers after the on-ramp for
Highland Avenue. All the new markers feature large 128 shields.

Between the
Highland Avenue on-ramp and the Route 9 East exit there is an auxiliary
travel lane that allows traffic just traveling between those two points
to not have to merge with through traffic.

Looking downhill
at the Route 9 interchange, though the auxiliary lane ends at the exit
ramp, given its presence on the previous sign, should there be an Exit
Only sign here too?

The completed
bridge over Route 9 and the completed westbound exit in Wellesley.

The second
I-95/Route 128 North reassurance marker near the northern end of the
Add-A-Lane Project limits after the Route 9 on-ramp.

The end of the
Add-A-Lane Project limits northbound, the North I-95 reassurance marker
is now an extra, and missing a 128 shield.
Turning around in
Wellesley:

The completed
sound wall parallels four lanes of I-95/Route 128 South approaching the
Route 9 interchange.

The now completed
exit ramp to Route 9 West, the 1-Mile Advance sign (see photo below)
still has only Exit 20, no A or B suffixes.

The 1-Mile
Advance sign for Highland Avenue precedes the completed 4-lane bridge
over Route 9.

For the first
time there is no longer a lane drop at the Route 9 East exit, confirming
that the Add-A-Lane Project is complete from Wellesley to Randolph. (But
notice there is an Exit Only tab here, though the exit ramp lane only
starts at the bridge. A holdover from when the lanes went for 4 to 3?)

The first of two
new South I-95/Route 128 reassurance markers, again with the big 128
shield, after the Route 9 on-ramp just over the line in Needham (no town
line sign here, another to-do punch list item?)

The completed
noise wall parallels the new auxiliary lane between the Route 9 on-ramp
and Highland Avenue/Kendrick Street exit in Needham.

The auxiliary
lane ends at the exit ramp to Highland Avenue and Kendrick Street, an
Exit Only tab is placed here on the right side of the overhead sign.

Four lanes of
traffic head southbound paralleling Highland Avenue/Kendrick Street C/D
lanes.

Southbound
traffic using 4 lanes going under Highland Avenue bridge. The exit ramp
sign on Highland Avenue westbound seen on the right only uses Dedham as
the only control city, not Canton with Providence, RI as with the signs
on Route 9.

Completed noise
walls parallel the C/D ramp to Kendrick Street southbound after the
Highland Avenue bridge.

Approaching the
on-ramp from the Highland Avenue C/D lanes with Kendrick Street bridge
in distance.

Five lanes of
traffic now are open under the Kendrick Street bridge counting the
on-ramp from Highland Avenue.

Southbound
roadway with 4 open lanes approaching Kendrick Street on-ramp.

The last new
southbound reassurance marker, also with a large Route 128 shield. The
mile markers, like that in the distance, have not yet been continued to
the other completed sections of the Add-A-Lane Project. Another punch
list item?

Four lanes of
traffic passing the Real Time Traffic sign heading toward the southern
end of the Project limits.

Heading for the
last curve in the project just after the 1 Mile Advance overhead for
Great Plain Avenue.

New guardrail and
a structure housing solar power equipment mark the southern end of the
last work zone in the Add-A-Lane Project.
Prior Photos
Taken on September 16, 2018:
Work has almost
wrapped up along the I-95/128 mainline. Final friction course paving has
taken place and MassDOT says final lane striping is to take place during
the week of September 17. All travel lanes were open, despite the still
presence of right lane closed signs northbound, on my drive through the
work zone on September 16. Starting at the beginning of the work zone
northbound:

Barrels blocking
the new right lane had been moved back to the shoulder allowing traffic
to use it, if they want to, not many cars were using it prior to
Kendrick Street.

In addition to
the final paving and installation of lane reflectors in the pavement,
logos have been added to the service signs prior to the Kendrick Street
exit.

Construction
barrels moved to the side allowing traffic in 4 travel lanes prior to
on-ramp from Kendrick Street.

Orange barrels
are completely gone from northbound lanes just after the Highland Avenue
bridge.

Paving has also
been completed along the future auxiliary lane between Highland Avenue
and Route 9 but, though it may not appear so, access is blocked off by
construction barrels.

Barrels seen here
preventing use of the auxiliary lane, guardrail work in this area has
also been completed.

The open four
travel lanes continue to the end of the project work zone as traffic can
use the auxiliary lane to enter the Route 9 East ramp.

The final photo
northbound show paving has been completed on the Route 9 bridge at the
northern end of the project work zone. Heading back south:

This photo shows
the culmination of the long-time Add-A-Lane project, that there is no
more lane drop at the Route 9 East ramp heading south in Wellesley.

The future
auxiliary lane from Route 9 to Highland Avenue is also blocked off from
traffic.

Traffic still has
to negotiate around the construction barrels to access the Highland
Avenue ramp, work on the guardrails and noise wall is complete.

Construction
barrels here pushed to the shoulder barrier to allow for 4 lanes of
travel paralleling the C/D ramp from Highland Avenue.

View of the open
4-lanes for traffic approaching the on-ramp from Highland Avenue.

Temporary lines
painted beyond the Highland Avenue ramp merge still reflect earlier
traffic pattern of 3 lanes of traffic under the Kendrick Street bridge,
with traffic ignoring them and using the right lane.

Construction
barrels still on shoulder approaching on-ramp from Kendrick Street.

Four lanes of
traffic proceed towards the end of the Add-A-Lane Project work zone,
barrels along shoulder for use in final lane striping.

Four lanes of
traffic pass by now obsolete Authorized Breakdown Lane Travel Times
sign.

View from the new
fourth lane approaching the southern end of the last Add-A-Lane Project
work zone.
Previous Photo
taken on August 26, 2018: 
View looking
northbound after Highland Avenue at recently repaved section, supposedly
the second to last paving, with barrels blocking the future right
shoulder (this was not the case for the roadway prior to Highland
Avenue, where traffic could have used all the four lanes.
Previous Photos
from July 27, 2018:
Things are slowly
moving toward completion along the entire project area (officially the
work won't wrap up until next Spring):

Another pavement
layer and traffic moved back left to occupy the original 3 lanes prior
to Kendrick Street, some barrels in the right shoulder suggest more work
needed.

Work though has
been completed along the shoulder just prior to the Kendrick Street
off-ramp.

Some raised
casting work remains to be complete and are marked by construction
barrels at the Kendrick Street off-ramp.

Future right lane
now marked again as right shoulder at Highland Avenue exits off-ramp,
notice plate identifying cross street now on bridge.

Additional raised
castings identified by construction barrels at and just after Kendrick
Street on-ramp.

Some left
shoulder as well as right shoulder work remains just north of the
Highland Avenue bridge.

Lane striping for
the left shoulder ends at the on-ramp from Highland Avenue.
Right shoulder
work remains to be completed, along with left shoulder line painting at
top of hill heading toward the Route 9 exits.

With the
exception of the left shoulder line painting, the road looks complete
just prior to the Route 9 East exit.

Looks like the
bridge over Route 9 still needs at least one more pavement coat at
northern end of project. Heading onto Route 9...

Permanent
overhead signage has been placed at the new on-ramps to I-95/128. This
heading eastbound.
The I-95
left-hand ramp signage can be seen in the distance as I am exiting onto
the southbound ramp (backed up to work at the ramp merge).

Single lanes from
MA 9 West and East merge into 1 lane heading up the on-ramp. Completed
noise walls along the ramp can be seen in the distance.

More work is
needed at the ramp merge. Traffic from Route 9 is still separated from
I-95 South entering Needham, the noise walls though look complete.

The current
alignment of the on-ramp gives you a close up view of the new rock cut
along the hill between Route 9 and Highland Avenue.

The noise wall
along what will be the two auxiliary lanes (the right most still needing
another layer of pavement) between Route 9 and Highland Avenue appears
to be complete.

Additional
shoulder work taking place alongside the barrier between I-95/128 South
and the Highland Avenue/Kendrick Street C/D lanes.

Closeup of the
street and town name plate sign on the Kendrick Street bridge.

A new distance
sign has been put up using Dedham instead of Canton (perhaps because
that town is featured in the upcoming Real Time distance sign 1/2 mile
further south). Understand Providence since its featured on pull through
and on-ramp signage, but why also Attleboro(ugh)? Due to the interchange
with I-295?

The remaining
part of the work zone to the railroad bridge only appears to need line
painting, and perhaps another layer of pavement.
Previous photos
from June 21:
Some significant
progress to report after 3 weeks between Great Plain and Highland
Avenues:

The orange
warning sign at the start of the Project work zone has been changed from
indicating the right lane ends to advising traffic about a lane shift
ahead.

Traffic has been
shifted to use the new right fourth lane between the start of
construction and Kendrick Street, the left lane is now closed so final
work can be done in the median area. Also the first mile marker in this
direction (no new markers have been put up in the completed areas of the
Add-A-Lane Project work zone).

After Highland
Avenue work has been continuing this week to place new pavement along
the northbound lanes, as you can see there has been a recent lane shift
after the pavement was placed for the right 2 lanes.

New pavement is
missing from the left lane and shoulder between Highland Avenue to just
before the Route 9 East exit.

Work has been
completed in installing guardrail and placing the noise wall along the
northbound lanes prior to Route 9.

New pavement not
yet placed, work continues in the left median though work on the bridge
ahead appears largely complete (also notice the SUV on the right using
the yet to officially open right lane).

The only
construction barrels left are beyond the bridge and at the exit ramp to
Route 9 West. Turning around and heading south...

Work is still
proceeding approaching the Route 9 interchange, while the lane is still
marked as 'Exit Only' this is only true for the Route 9 east ramp.

Work was still
proceeding along the westbound Route 9 off-ramp with posts for
guardrails being placed.

Still temporary
barriers and orange barrels in place southbound traveling over the Route
9 bridge.

The noise walls
appear complete along the Route 9 on-ramp at the Wellesley/Needham
border. Work needed to pave this section of highway, especially between
the southbound lanes and the on-ramp.

Paving has also
started approaching Highland Avenue southbound, the change in elevation
between the newly paved and existing lanes makes changing lanes
difficult. There is nothing new to report between Highland Avenue and
the end of the project southbound.
Previous Photos
Taken on June 2, 2018:
Project is
wrapping up between Great Plain Avenue and Highland Avenue and is
getting closer between Highland and Route 9:

Final pavement
and lane markers are now in place south of Kendrick Street on I-95/128
North. Hopefully, the new additional right lane will be opened once the
paving is completed to Highland Avenue.

The lane markings
are complete up to the Kendrick Street exit.

The shoulder
still needs paving beyond the Kendrick Street off-ramp.

The new lane and
shoulder still need final paving approaching the Kendrick Street exit
on-ramp, you also notice a new 2/10 mile marker, these are now up,
mostly, in the work zone in both directions, they have not been, as of
yet extended further south to the completed Add-A-Lane Project
area.

Further final
paving still required on the right approaching the Highland Avenue
bridge.

The view beyond
Highland Avenue showing completion of right shoulder barrier and the
addition of guardrail heading toward Route 9, noise wall along
southbound lanes is almost complete. Turning around...

The reassurance
marker that was where the noise wall now is has been replaced further
north approaching the Route 9 exit (the westbound exit closed this
weekend for repaving).

With the
temporary barrier separating Route 9 traffic from I-95/128 South,
vehicles can now access the east exit directly (work on completing the
westbound ramp is to have been completed by Sunday, June 3). Also notice
the near completed noise walls along the Route 9 on-ramp.

A closer look at
the completed noise wall and the new 2/10 mile marker along the Route 9
on-ramp heading into Needham.

Final paving is
still underway beyond Highland Avenue.

The right
shoulder awaits final paving between Highland Avenue and Kendrick
Street.

The right
shoulder and on-ramp await final paving approaching Kendrick Street.
Also another new 2/10 mile marker.

Final paving
appears complete beyond the Kendrick Street bridge at Mile 35.
The completed
final pavement lanes continue past the Kendrick Street on-ramp.

Since there are
no formal lane markings on the new pavement, some traffic entering
southbound from Kendrick Street were using the unofficially open new
right lane (then tried to jump back into my lane when the new pavement
disappeared and the solid line reappeared marking the lane as the
shoulder, not a traffic lane).
Previous Photos.
Taken on April 20, 2018:
Some progress to
report, especially with the removal of most of the temporary shoulder
barriers heading northbound:

Barriers have
been removed most of the distance between the southern end of the
Project work zone and Kendrick Street:

Along the newly
open shoulders are blue service signs waiting to be filled in:

The shoulders are
without barriers almost to the Kendrick Street exit:

Views taken along
the ramp from Kendrick Street to I-95/128 North, previously not
photographed:


North of Kendrick
Street the concrete barriers along the future shoulder are also gone,
but they are replaced by orange barrels.

The view beyond
Highland Avenue shows barriers removed here also:
The barrier
removal continues north to the Highland Avenue on-ramp, though here
moved besides the permanent ramp barrier.
Meanwhile, new
lane construction continues along the southbound side next to the future
noise wall:
Noise walls are
near completion northbound approaching the Route 9 interchange:

Finally, a look
toward the Route 9 interchange with barrels replacing barriers
along the center median:
Earlier Photos
Taken on February 17, 2018:
Another drive to
check out I-90 signage, nothing new to report. Some progress to report
though on I-95. First northbound at Kendrick Street:

It appears the
guardrail work is complete prior to Kendrick Street, but that there is
still more shoulder work to be completed:

Nothing new
between Kenrick Street and Highland Avenue so picking up after Highland
Avenue Bridge:

Work is
continuing building the new northbound lane prior to the merge with the
Highland Avenue C/D ramp which will add an additional lane to Route 9.

Both temporary
and permanent barriers separate Highland Avenue on-ramp traffic from
I-95/128 North prior to the merge ahead.

Future permanent
barrier pieces stacked on top of one another in future right lanes
between Highland Avenue and Route 9.

Work continues on
constructing noise barrier walls along both sides of I-95/128
approaching Route 9.

Noise barrier
walls have been completed prior to the Route 9 East exit. The final
traffic configuration over Route 9 is starting to appear in the
distance.

Temporary barrier
still blocks off future left lane for I-95/128 South over Route 9 in
Wellesley.
Heading
Southbound:

The sound wall is
now almost completely up between Routes 16 and 9.

A few panels
still need to be placed by the 1/2 Mile sign for Route 9 West, but its
completed the rest of the way to the exit.

Still only
temporary signage in place for exit only ramp to Route 9.

Work is
proceeding to grade the area surrounding the new bridge and the location
of the former Route 9 West on-ramp.
Work is
proceeding south of the new bridge both on the new lanes and the noise
walls along the Route 9 on-ramp.

A concrete
culvert awaits placement in the future southbound lanes after crossing
the town line into Needham.

It appears all
the noise wall supports are in place between Route 9 and Highland
Avenue.

Guardrails have
now been placed along the future lanes toward the Highland Avenue C/D
lanes.

Roadwork is
largely complete after the Highland Avenue C/D lane off-ramp.
Construction equipment and remaining dirt piles are in place at site of
former Highland Avenue bridge.

Closeup view of
contractor office trailer and construction equipment at site of old
Highland Avenue bridge.

All the work
needed here prior to the Kendrick Street bridge is to remove the
temporary barrier and re-stripe the roadway for 4 lanes and a shoulder.
Earlier Photos
Taken on January 15, 2018:
Took a drive to
check out new Mass. Pike Signage (see I-90 in
Mass. Photo Gallery) which necessitated driving through the
Add-A-Lane Project work zone. Not much new to report northbound:
There is still
work to do to completed the new shoulders between Great Plain Avenue and
Kendrick Street. Heading back southbound though is more interesting:
Noise wall work
continues approaching the Route 9 interchange which the text on the
right lane pavement hints at a new traffic configuration.
As the sign says,
traffic exiting must now use the right lane while southbound through
traffic stays to the left.
Three lanes to
the left of the exit ramp head toward the new southbound bridge while
work continues on the noise wall to the right.
View after the
exit ramp, notice the temporary Route 9 East exit sign has been moved
across the highway and the arrow switched in direction.
Crossing over the
new bridge, temporary barriers to the right separate the mainline from
the Route 9 exit ramp traffic.
Still on the new
bridge. Work continues in creating the new lanes beyond the East Route 9
exit ramp.
Besides new lane
construction, noise wall installation continues along Route 9 on-ramp to
I-95/128 South entering Needham.
Closeup view of
the southbound rock cut need to complete the 2 new lanes (1 mainline, 1
auxiliary) between Route 9 and Highland Avenue.
The noise wall
will accompany the new lanes from the top of the hill to Highland
Avenue.
New guardrail is
being installed along the future auxiliary lane as you are heading
toward the Highland Avenue/Kendrick Street exit.
The new guardrail
extends as far as the start of the C/D ramp for the Highland Avenue
exits.
Temporary
concrete barriers stand in front of the permanent taller structure
separating the C/D lanes from I-95/128 South traffic by Highland Avenue.
Piles of dirt and
construction equipment remain between ramps to Highland Avenue near site
of former bridge.
Largely completed
section of I-95 South paralleling C/D ramp to Kendrick Street with
temporary concrete barrier in future shoulder area.
A look at the C/D
ramp signage from I-95 South prior to on-ramp from the Highland Avenue
exits.
I-95 traffic just
prior to on-ramp from C/D lanes, yellow sign on temporary barrier warns
drivers breakdown lane in use during rush hour (practice to be stopped
after project is completed).
Traffic merging
onto South I-95/128 from Highland Avenue exit C/D ramp just prior to
Kendrick Street bridge.
New guardrail is
also being placed along future right shoulder beyond Kendrick
Street.Work was to be completed by the end of 2017 but was delayed by
the winter weather.
The end of the
guardrail approaching the southern end of the Project work zone. It will
be interesting to see if all lanes south of Kendrick Street are to be
opened when shoulder work in both directions is completed.
Earlier photos
from December 3, 2017:
Took a drive to
check out the newly opened C/D ramp southbound to Kendrick Street and
the new Kendrick Street ramp to I-95/128 North:
First, northbound
approaching Kendrick Street, new guardrail has been placed along the
right shoulder from the start of the work zone almost to the Kendrick
Street ramp.
The remaining new
guardrail to Kendrick Street is to be put up the week of December 4-8,
according to MassDOT.
View of the now
open ramp from Kendrick Street, plan to drive it during the next trip to
Needham, temporary barriers in place in front of future right shoulder.
A temporary
merging traffic advisory sign is place in the temporary barrier prior to
the new ramp entering I-95, saw no cars using the ramp.

Here's the view
from Kendrick St heading toward the new North ramp. Instead of replacing
the existing South I-95 sign with one having both directions, they have
installed a new I-95 North further to the west.

A small I-95
North guide sign was added, without a destination, to the existing I-95
South ramp overhead sign, and as can be seen in the distance...

The ramp sign has
both an I-95 and Route 128 shield. The contractor must consider this to
be a trailblazer type of sign since the FHWA has prohibited MassDOT from
placing 128 shields on guide signs.
Heading back onto
I-95/128 North:
Large dirt
mounds, and perhaps a permanent berm, no covered with grass, still mark
the Highland Avenue interchange area, temporary barrier still in place
despite permanent concrete barrier now complete along C/D lanes.
Another look at
the new overhead signage for both I-95/128 North for Route 9 and the C/D
lane for Highland Avenue West, this time from the mainline.
Approaching the
new on-ramp from Highland Avenue on I-95 North, new ramp barrier is in
place, along with temporary barrier in future right shoulder area.
Continued
construction can be seen in both future new lane areas, north and
southbound, including supports fora noise wall that continues southbound
from the Route 9 ramp.
Work continues in
building the right shoulder barrier walls heading toward the Route 9
interchange.

Both shoulder
barrier and drainage work continues approaching the top of the hill
before the Route 9 interchange.
Work continues
just before the Route 9 East ramp on new noise walls south of the
excavated rock wall approaching Wellesley.
Heading back
south, and, unfortunately, into the low December sun:
Work continues
installing noise wall supports south of the Route16 exit up to Route 9.
The South I-95/128 reassurance marker that was behind the wall posts has
been (temporarily?) removed.
The wall posts
continue past the still existing traffic shift for Route 9 bridge
construction.
The support posts
continue past the last warning sign about the upcoming lane split.
A new overhead
gantry holds new signs for the Route 9 exit, temporary signs also still
standing (the 1-Mile advance sign for the exit still incorrectly refers
to it as Exit 20, with no added letters).
An attempt to
capture the new concrete deck on the future southbound bridge over Route
9.
Work continues
along the right shoulder after the Route 9 bridges, along with noise
walls along the Route 9 on-ramp.
A new overhead
1/2 mile advance sign has been placed at the merge of the two traffic
streams beyond the Route 9 on-ramp.
The new off-ramp
for the Southbound C/D lanes at Highland Avenue is still marked with a
temporary sign (and some confusion as noted by the driver just ahead of
me.
A view of the
previously placed C/D ramp signage for Highland Avenue from the ramp
itself.
The other 2-sign
cantilever overhead signs on the C/D ramp, now with Kendrick Street
uncovered after the ramp was opened on December 1.

Proceeding along
the C/D ramp past the exit for Highland Avenue East, now Exit 19B.

The split of the
C/D ramp returning to I-95/128 South and the new Kendrick Street
off-ramp is marked by these overhead signs.

Taking the newly
opened off-ramp to Kendrick Street.

The off-ramp ends
in a traffic signal which allows vehicles to proceed back onto the I-95
South on-ramp.

The guide signs
along Kendrick Street to the west of I-95 that only refer to the I-95
South ramp because there is no access to the northbound ramp in this
direction.

There is a South
Route 128 trailblazer approaching the I-95 South ramp on Kendrick Street
heading east.
Entering I-95/128
South from the Kendrick Street ramp, merge is easier now with temporary
barriers gone along the shoulder prior to the ramp.
Guardrail work
has not started along the shoulder south of Kendrick Street, though
drainage work may be complete.
The southern end
of the work zone looking similar to the last time through in October.
Previous Photos
from October 28, 2017:
Another drive
northbound after part of the new C/D ramps between Kendrick Street and
Highland Avenue were opened:
With the opening
of the new ramp, the exit numbers have been changed with an A added to
the Kendrick Street sign and B and C applied to Highland Avenue starting
with the 1 Mile advance sign for new Exit 19A. This is also true for the
remainder of the advance signs:


Work continues
meanwhile on the right shoulder, separated by a temporary barrier. The
signage at Kendrick Street itself:

The new Exit 19A
gore sign at the Kendrick Street ramp:
This portable VMS
warns drivers of the new, earlier Highland Avenue exit ramp. Apparently,
there was no publicity, except through entries on the MassDOT website,
to drivers and local businesses of the exit number change:
A closer view of
the new Highland Avenue exit sign taken accessing the newly opened ramp:
The view on the
new ramp with the Trip Advisor Headquarters building to the right:
The overhead
signs for the Highland Avenue ramps as seen from the opened C/D ramp:
The last Highland
Avenue exit sign and a newly placed Route 9 advance sign prior to the
bridge:
The new Exit 19 C
gore sign:

Proceeding along
the C/D ramp back to I-95 North with concrete barrier separating traffic
from future breakdown lane:

Traffic from both
Highland Avenue ramps merges into one lane before entering I-95/128:

About to enter
the mainline with the end of the temporary barrier to the left:

Entering I-95/128
through gap in temporary right-side barrier allows view of progress
building new lanes between Highland Avenue and Route 9:

Another view of
new Route 9 exit sign and construction progress in starting to build
right shoulder barrier between Highland Avenue and Route 9:

Meanwhile, work
on the new southbound sound walls continues on the other side of the
highway:
This is a new
advance sign for the Route 9 East exit that has appeared in the last
week next to new sound wall supports beyond the right shoulder:
These are the
last new overheads put up at the MA 9 West exit ramp. It appears if all
the new signage has now been placed northbound:
Earlier Photos
Taken on October 14, 2017:
Drove northbound
through the work zone and spotted several new overhead signs:
New overhead
signs for Highland Avenue can be spotted across from C/D lanes from
Kendrick Street.
A closer view of
the signs. MassDOT has recently started the practice of placing 2 signs
on one cantilever gantry. The signs still have the A and B suffixes that
will be changed when the entire ramp system from Kendrick Street to
Highland Avenue is opened.

One of the steel
girders for the westbound Highland Avenue bridge is being stored
temporarily in the future C/D lane between Highland Avenue exit ramps.

Permanent
concrete barriers are being placed to separate the I-95 North through
traffic from that heading for Highland Avenue West prior to the
eastbound bridge.
View of
construction progress after Highland Avenue with new southbound and a
new northbound sign being seen in the distance.
The new sign for
MA 9 East is getting closer, while continued work on the noise walls
along the southbound lanes continues.
A closeup view of
the new sign on the other side of the barrier where workers are
separated from traffic as the new lanes are being built.
The last set of
new overheads are prior to the Route 9 East off-ramp. Support posts for
future signs at the West off-ramp can be seen in the distance. I presume
there will be auxiliary signs for Newton and Wellesley not listed on the
overheads.
Previous photos
taken on September 17, 2017:
Mostly related to
new overhead signage placed in early September. First northbound:
New signs have
now been placed on the existing northbound gantries for the Highland
Avenue exits, the 1 1/2 miles refers to the current ramp for the
eastbound exit.
The second new
sign, notice the distance only reduces 1/4 mile for Highland Avenue
while it reduced 1/2 mile for Kendrick Street. I'm assuming this is for
the final exit ramp for both currently separate Highland Avenue exits
which will be reached through a C/D ramp prior to the existing exits.
Also the A and B suffixes will be changed when work is completed so
Kendrick Street will be Exit 19A and the Highland Avenue exits will be
Exits 19B and C.
The new overhead
for Highland Avenue at the Kendrick Street ramp reads 3/4 mile,
continuing the distance from the second advance sign.
The final new
sign for Highland Avenue, prior to the Kendrick Street bridge, will be
at the future single Highland Avenue exit ramp, MassDOT didn't
temporarily place distances on it since due to the current 2 different
exit ramp set-up.
Approaching the
current Highland Avenue East ramp, the sign indicating permitted
breakdown lane use now placed beyond permanent barrier that will
separate I-95/Route 128 North traffic from those entering on ramp from
Kendrick Street. Sign will no longer be necessary can be removed when
fourth lane is opened. The permanent Exit 19 (B) gore sign can also be
seen behind the current Exit 19A sign.
The permanent
Exit 19 (C) gore sign can be seen behind the current Exit 19B sign at
the current ramp to Highland Avenue West beyond site of future westbound
bridge.
Work continues on
building the additional lanes beyond Highland Avenue heading toward the
Route 9 exit.
Heading toward
Route 9 exit at former lane-split, work is proceeding on supports for
noise walls along both directions of the highway.
Heading down
toward Route 9 and Wellesley work is proceeding on completing the
bridges seen in the distance.
Traveling over
the new bridge over Route 9, the sign indicating the end of authorized
breakdown is tacked below the temporary Route 9 West sign.
Heading back
Southbound:
The view
traveling on the through lanes of the split traffic pattern prior to the
Route 9 exit, equipment being used to build the new southbound bridge to
the right.
Beyond the Route
9 bridge, work is proceeding to grade the new right lane prior to the
merge at the end of the lane-split heading toward Highland Avenue.
New overhead sign
for Highland Avenue has been placed. The bottom is covered over since it
refers to Kendrick Street, the blank space in the exit tab is for a
Future C, which will be for the Highland Avenue West ramp, currently
Exit 19B.
Overhead signage
has also been placed along future C/D ramp from I-95 / Route 128 South
for Highland Avenue, including a future Exit 19 (C) gore sign.
A temporary sign
directs I-95 South traffic to the current Highland Avenue East off-ramp
at site of current on-ramp from Highland Avenue West. Covered over sign
is for Kendrick Street.
Current Exit 19A
ramp gore sign in front of future Exit 19(B) sign for Highland Avenue
East exit in Needham.
The noise wall
has neared completion between Highland Avenue and Kendrick Street along
the future off-ramp.
A temporary
barrier has been moved over the future right shoulder to complete
drainage work along the stretch between Kendrick Street and the end of
the work zone.
Work continues to
replace the construction barrels with concrete barriers for shoulder
work at the southern end of the Project work zone.
Earlier photos
taken on August 27, 2017:
Taken in both
directions, first northbound:

At the start of
the work zone. The big news is that the new left lane is now open, there
are still 3 lanes open however, since work has moved to the right
shoulder.
Another view
approaching Kendrick Street, work on the right is proceeding behind a
barrier.
Drainage culverts
and pipes await installation along the right shoulder approaching the
Kendrick Street exit ramp.
There is no
longer a traffic shift to the left approaching the Kendrick Street
bridge, the future fourth lane serves as the temporary shoulder almost
to Highland Avenue.
Heading
underneath the Kendrick Street bridge with construction equipment
grading the future right shoulder behind the concrete barrier.
Final work is
also proceeding on the future C/D lanes between Kendrick Street and
Highland Avenue, though work has finished on the new left lane.
Approaching
Highland Avenue, sign in future C/D lanes reminds drivers shoulder
travel is permitted during rush hours morning and evening.
The current
traffic alignment creates a rather sharp curve needed to get beyond the
temporary barrier and access the ramp to Highland Avenue East.
Beyond the ramp
work is proceeding in grading the lanes toward the ramp to Highland
Avenue West.
Again, traffic
has to take a sharp turn to access the exit ramp with the traffic
alignment now using the new left lane, while also avoiding traffic
entering from behind the temporary barrier.

North of Highland
Avenue, grading work continues along the new lanes (I-95 mainline and
traffic from Highland Avenue) beyond the barrier to the right.
The permanent
median barrier looms over traffic in the left and middle lanes following
Highland Avenue.
Work continues
along right shoulder to add new lane between Highland Avenue and Route 9
(along with noise wall construction on opposite side).
The northbound
lane split for Route 9 bridge construction has been taken down at the
top of the hill after Highland Avenue.

View down the
hill toward the Route 9 interchange shows absence of split traffic
pattern, seen now in southbound lanes (see photos below).
View at the
northern end of the Add-A-Lane Project work zone with traffic using the
new bridge over Route 9, future fourth lane behind barrier at left.
Turning around
and heading Southbound:
Noise wall
support installation still proceeding prior to official Add-A-Lane
Project work zone.
A temporary guide
sign among the support beams alerts I-95 South drivers to the new lane
configuration at the Route 9 exit.
Entering the
traffic split (I should have stayed to the left where the lanes flowed
much better with no off and on-ramp traffic).
The temporary
Route 9 East traffic sign that was in the center median was moved and is
now is between the separated lanes of southbound traffic prior to new
bridge construction.
Being in the
right-side lanes does afford you a good look at construction of the new
bridge for southbound lanes over Route 9.
As before the
split, the right lane for MA 9 is exit only with the left lane for
through traffic in the split-lane configuration.
And, as before,
this means drivers trying to sneak around backed-up through traffic by
cutting back from the exit-only lane when it ends prior to the Route 9
on-ramp.
A closer look at
the noise wall support posts being installed along the Route 9 on-ramp
beyond the merging traffic ahead of the end of the lane-split.

Prior to the end
of the lane-split there is a portable VMS alerting drivers to the new
location of Exit 19A for Highland Avenue West.
There is another
VMS in the right lane in the construction area for the two new lanes to
be built between Route 9 and Highland Avenue.
The noise wall
supports continue along southbound toward the new ramp to Highland
Avenue West.
A temporary exit
sign before the new Highland Avenue exit ramp which does not require
quite as sharp a turn as northbound.
The former Exit
19A ramp area now hosts construction equipment and more concrete
barriers to be placed along future CD lanes paralleling the southbound
lanes.
Temporary and
permanent concrete barriers in place for future C/D lanes at site of
future bridge and under current Highland Avenue bridge.
View south of the
Highland Avenue bridge showing progress in building future C/D lanes and
noise barrier walls.
Noise wall near
completion paralleling future ramp to Kendrick Street and temporary
barrier ahead of Highland Ave on-ramp.
Work is
proceeding to grade to pave and complete grading of the future on-ramp
lane from Highland Avenue approaching the Kendrick Street bridge.
Paving and
temporary lane striping for the future fourth lane on the right, now
serving as the shoulder/breakdown lane prior to the Kendrick Street
on-ramp.
What appears to
be the final paving of the southbound lanes south of Kendrick Street
with fourth lane serving as shoulder and barrels blocking off future
work along the permanent right shoulder.
Former concrete
barriers await removal along completed stretch south of Kendrick Street
with new lane serving as temporary shoulder.

Some shoulder
work remains to be completed approaching southern end of construction
zone by Real Time Traffic sign.
Orange barrels
block off future right shoulder from traffic at southern end of project
work zone approaching Great Plain Avenue.
Earlier Photos
from July 8 and 9, 2017:
Traveling
northbound:
Nothing new to
report up to Kendrick Street. The road surface has been repaved prior to
the Highland Avenue exits while work has been completed putting up
guardrails along the future ramps between Kendrick Street and Highland.
Completed
guardrail and future Kendrick St ramp behind temporary barrier
approaching Highland Avenue East exit in Needham.
The newly paved
lanes lead under the new (future westbound) Highland Avenue bridge.
Work continues on
adding new lanes along the right of I-95 North just after the Highland
Avenue bridge.
Looking to the
southbound lanes, supports are now being added beyond the new lane being
constructed for a sound barrier wall between Route 9 and Highland
Avenue.
Work continues to
clear a path for the new lane heading up the hill toward the Route 9
interchange after Highland Avenue.

Heading down the
hill into Wellesley and the Route 9 interchange, work largely has been
completed northbound prior to the bridges, though more median work
remains to be completed.
Work continues on
completing the bridge over Route 9 while I-95/128 traffic is still split
until after the westbound bridge.
Construction
equipment parked in the median by the Route 9 bridges at the northern
end of the Add-A-Lane Project work zone.
Heading back
southbound (no rain this time):
Prior to the
actual Project work zone they are adding noise barrier walls along the
south of I-95/Route 128. Looks like there going to have to move the
existing reassurance marker.
A better look at
the median construction work can be seen entering the work zone
southbound before Route 9.

Another look at
the sound wall support posts going up starting along the Route 9 on-ramp
and continuing southbound into Needham.

Concrete barrier
to the right separates I-95/128 traffic from new lane and noise wall
construction heading down hill toward Highland Avenue.
Installation of
wall supports ends just prior to Highland Avenue west off-ramp. Large
dirt piles remain at location of Highland Avenue bridge construction.
Construction
equipment can be seen along future lanes on either side of the highway
before Highland Avenue.
Cement culverts,
construction equipment and dirt piles remain between the new Highland
Avenue bridge and the ramps to and from I-95/Route 128 in Needham.
View from under
the Highland Avenue bridge prior to the eastbound exit and entering the
new southbound I-95/128 lanes.
Traveling on the
recently shifted southbound lanes between Highland Avenue and Kendrick
Street, the old right side of the highway will now be used for the C/D
lanes between the two streets.
Wall panels are
now being installed for the sound barrier walls between Highland Avenue
and Kendrick Street while traffic has been shifted over to the new
lanes.
The berm in the
median has now grown over with vegetation while work continues to the
right on the new lane prior to Kendrick Street.
Southbound
traffic slowly shifting off of new lanes prior to going under the
Kendrick Street bridge.
Traffic still
enters from the new Kendrick Street off-ramp behind a temporary work
barrier, limit the sight distance while entering I-95 South.
Paving work and
work along right shoulder remains to be completed between Kendrick
Street and the southern end of the Add-A-Lane Project work zone.
Previous Photos
from June 4, 2017:
Traveling
northbound:

At the start of
the work zone, the median barrier is complete and the new left-most lane
has been paved.

Barrels separate
the new paved lane from the rest of the northbound roadway approaching
the Kendrick Street interchange.
Pre-existing
services sign for Highland Avenue prior to new Kendrick Street
interchange and paved new left-most lane and permanent median barrier.
View from under
the Kendrick Street bridge of nearly completed ramp from Kendrick
Street.
New guardrail
construction for the ramp from Kendrick Street to Highland Avenue can be
seen beyond the temporary right-side barrier.
The guardrail
installation appears complete approaching the current Highland Avenue
East ramp.
View approaching
new Highland Avenue bridge, work proceeding on second span beyond.
View from future
location of westbound bridge showing progress in building auxiliary
lanes between Highland Avenue and Route 9.
Traffic in both
directions is separated by permanent concrete barrier with construction
work proceeding along the outside lanes.
Work has started
in putting up noise barrier walls along both sides of the highway
approaching the Route 9 interchange.
Looking down
toward the Route 9 interchange in Wellesley showing barrier construction
and work in what will become the center median.
Work is
continuing on completing the permanent bridges over Route 9 at the
northern end of the project work zone.
Paving has been
completed on the future northbound lanes over Route 9, and on the median
barrier. Unfortunately, it was raining when I returned the other
direction and I was unable to take and photos.
Previous photos
from April 17, 2017:
Traveling
southbound on Patriot's Day afternoon:
Heading across
the Route 9 bridge showing a cluster of temporary signage around the
exit ramp and the lane drop.
Work has been
proceeding in clearing room for the future lanes from Route 9 to
Highland Avenue including another rock cut along the southbound lanes.
A closer view of
the project work after the Route 9 on-ramp where you now have a clear
view of a house and retaining wall by the southbound lanes (now an ideal
residence for a traffic reporter?).
Looking down the
hill toward Highland Avenue with work proceeding on the new right lanes
behind the temporary retaining wall.
Continuing down
the hill, you can see the work being done around Highland Avenue on the
northbound side preparing the westbound bridge over I-95/128.
A closer look at
the northbound work, since southbound is being blocked by this poorly
timed passing truck.
Better view of
southbound construction. To the right, work is now proceeding in
removing the base of the former railroad bridge to make room for the two
new lanes that will be built between Route 9 and Highland Avenue.
The Highland
Avenue interchange area southbound has become a storage place for
completed structures awaiting installation and several dirt piles.
While little
progress has been made in completing the sound barrier walls to the
right, work is proceeding on grading the future lanes in the current
median to the left. I-95 South thru traffic will be moved to the left so
auxiliary lanes can be built on part of the current lanes to carry
traffic between Highland Avenue and Kendrick Street.
Another view of
median work further south along with the building of a berm in the
median just north of the Kendrick Street bridge.
Speaking of the
Kendrick Street bridge, this area is largely complete save for
completing the median work and removing the temporary barrier to the
left and repaving and re-striping the southbound lanes.
Just south of the
bridge, the work appears to be mostly complete on the median barrier and
the new lane has been paved, this would leave only the remaining lanes
to be paved to complete the project between Kendrick Street and Great
Plain Avenue.
Further south
near the northbound overhead sign for Kendrick Street, showing the same
condition of completeness.
Same story at the
southern end of the project, however, the new left lane has not been
paved at this location.
Previous photos,
taken on January 23, 2017:
On and off snow
showers prevented a lot of photo being taken, but some progress can be
seen in the amount of construction debris near Highland Avenue:

The view also
included some local wildlife. Work has started in earnest on creating
the new lanes between Highland Avenue and Route 9.
Work is closer to
Highland Ave heading north and toward the top of the hill heading south,
which includes these crane structures:
The permanent
median barrier is now in use separating the north and southbound
traffic. The gore sign at the MA 9 exit is also a permanent one (though
maybe not a permanent number):
Heading back
south, they have begun storing the future bridge deck beams for the
westbound span of the Highland Avenue bridge in the center median near
the southbound lanes:
The beams
continue toward the Kendrick Street bridge:
Earlier Photos
taken on January 1, 2017 in Needham and Wellesley:
Progress has been
made since October in installing the center median barrier and preparing
the area for the additional lane at the southern end of the southern end
of the project:

Most of the
barrier has been constructed south of Kendrick Street with an exception
where a new overhead sign support is being installed prior to the
Kendrick Street exit:

A photo taken at
the Kendrick Street interchange shows little change, with most of the
work already completed:

Here's a view of
the nearly completed Kendrick Street on-ramp which has been paved but
cannot be seen in this photo:

A closer view of
the future merge area between the Kendrick St. off-ramp and I-95/128
North showing guardrail has been installed on the
future C/D
lanes between Kendrick St. and Highland Ave.:
The view looking
toward the Highland Ave. bridge is a little different now that the older
bridge has been removed and more of the site area cleared, the new I-95
North exit sign seen to the right has a destination of Waltham:

There has also
been progress creating the new center median barrier between Highland
Ave. and Route 9, allowing the start of moving northbound traffic to the
left so that the extra right lane can be built:

A view higher up
the hill where work has finished blasting away rock for the space needed
for the extra lanes:

While traffic is
still split before the Route 9 exit, the right side now uses the
completed part of the new northbound bridge:

A closer look at
the bridge crossing:

Turning around
here's what the view looks like entering the Add-A-Lane construction
zone from the north:

The view from the
top of the hill back towards Highland Ave showing the permanent median
barrier right next to the traffic lanes that have moved to the left to
allow for the construction of additional lanes to the right:
A view closer to
the new Highland Ave bridge, now with the old bridge out of the way:

A view from
closer to the new bridge showing the temporary exit signs for Highland
Ave. (sorry about the glare):
A view from under
the bridge of the relocated exit ramp to Highland Ave. East need to
connect with the new bridge:
Progress is being
made in the wide center median area to prepare for the extra lanes for
I-95/128 South:
They have
finished installing supports for the noise barrier walls, but not the
walls themselves toward Kendrick St., work on the ramp is proceeding:
View of the
northbound ramp from Kendrick Street across the way:
Finally, a look
at the progress in the median between Kendrick St. and the end of the
construction zone heading south again showing he gap in the permanent
barrier for overhead sign support installation:
Previous Photos
taken on October 30, 2016, Needham - Wellesley Section
Not too much
change is obvious from the previous photos taken northbound before
Kendrick Street:
Here's a closer
view of the odd looking gore sign resulting from a temporary removal of
the planned A suffix, the temporary lane shift before the bridge is
still in effect, the permanent center median is finished in this area:
More progress can
be seen for the future Kendrick Street flyover ramp to I-95 North, the
ramp is now paved, not seen in the photo:
Close look at
temporary exit sign for the first Highland Avenue exit:

This is the last
photo to be taken of the old Highland Avenue Bridge over I-95/128 North,
it is to be demolished the weekend of November 5-6 with traffic detoured
off at the exit ramps:

New temporary
signage has been put up for new traffic configuration for the Route 9
exits, another split of traffic lanes to go with the first:
This photo
approaching the Route 9 exit also shows progress in cutting back the
rock face for the new exit lanes:
The exiting
traffic is using the new northbound bridge that will be open to all
traffic in mid-November:
Heading back
southbound,view from the top of the hill heading toward Highland Avenue,
most of the permanent median barrier is in place:
The new median
barrier ends before Highland Avenue and what remains of the old Highland
Avenue bridge awaits final demolition on November 5 and 6:
Here's a closer
look of what remains of the bridge over southbound I-95/128:

Beyond the
bridge, work is continuing on the future access roads and noise barriers
between Highland Avenue and Kendrick Street:

Little new to
report south of Kendrick Street on constructing the new lane and median
barrier:
Previous Photos
Taken on August 21, 2016 (Needham Section)
MassDOT opened
the on-ramps to the newly completed Kendrick Street bridge on August 19,
2016. This included placing new overhead signage for the exit on I-95
North. Here is the 1-Mile Advance sign:

As you can see,
there is space next to the 19. Originally, the exit was, according to
the MassDOT project page, to be Exit 19A, however the A was removed from
the signs (including the gore sign which was placed earlier in the week
as 19A) just prior to the signs being put up. A similar sign is at the
1/2 mile advance point:

As here is the
signage at the ramp, notice the gore sign in the distance with the
numbers on the far to account for then now missing A:

If these exits
receive new milepost based numbers, MassDOT will have to decide whether
it should be given the number 35A, the exit is at milepost 35.1, or
fudge the number and make it 34. If it's 35A then the next two Highland
Avenue exits would be 35B and 35C. The problem is that there will be no
direct ramp to Kendrick Street southbound and so drivers would see 35C
and B, but no A which could be confusing. If MassDOT made the numbers
35B and A southbound, then the same exit ramp would have two different
numbers, which could be confusing as well. MassDOT indicates that the
rest of the ramp system will not open until the fall of 2018. Here's the
completed ramp to Kendrick St.:

While here's what
progress has been made on the new on-ramp from Kendrick Street to I-95
North:
Here's a couple
views of ramp construction taken from a street paralleling I-95 North
between Kendrick St. and Highland Ave., showing some of the on-ramp
structure has been completed:
Here's a closer
look from the entrance to the Coca Cola Bottling Plant bordering
Kendrick Street:
The new Kendrick
Street bridge was officially completed on Friday 8/19/16 with two lanes
heading east and one south, with a signalized left turn for the new I-95
South ramp. Here's the mew small I-95 guide sign at the beginning of the
bridge:
Traffic taking
the ramp from I-95 North can only go right at the end of the ramp. This
is the permanent condition, according to MassDOT documents, the overhead
guide sign in the distance also only refers to Canton as a destination,
or control city:
As you can see,
bicyclists are already taking advantage of the new bike lane. The
signage at the ramp is the standard Mass. guide or paddle sign, also
just referring to Canton:
Here's the view
from the on-ramp heading toward I-95/Route 128 South:
It will be
interesting to see how drivers get used to the new ramp, especially at
rush hours when the breakdown lane is in use. Concrete barriers, seen in
the distance, line the right side of I-95 just up to where the ramp
enters the highway, possibly restricting the view of cars entering from
the ramp. Work has also been proceeding on the new Highland Ave. bridge
over I-95. Here's the view northbound:
The exit ramps
are being reconfigured to meet the new bridge. Here is the southbound
ramp to eastbound Highland Avenue (Exit 19A):
Noise barriers
are not only being built along I-95 as seen above, but also along the
ramps heading to and from Highland Ave.:
Here's the view
of the new bridge, looking close to completion, over I-95/Route 128,
from the end of the southbound exit ramp:
Between Highland
Avenue and Route 9, some progress can be seen in the placement of a
permanent median barrier:
And work is
wrapping up on excavating rock for the new northbound lanes near the MA
9 exit:
Work is also
proceeding on the new bridge northbound over Route 9:

Here's a closer
view of the new bridge under construction:

Previous Photos
Taken on June 12, 2016 (Needham Section)
Heading
northbound from Dedham, little progress can be seen along the median
between Great Plain Avenue and the Highland Avenue Area, either at the
start of the work zone:
or further toward
the Highland Ave. Exit:
Work on the
off-ramp connecting to the Kendrick Street future on-ramp area can be
seen beyond the blue services sign:
Work has
proceeded greatly in creating the retaining walls for the future on and
off-ramps from Kendrick Street:
Here's a closer
view of the northbound off-ramp that will also serve drivers to Highland
Avenue East and southbound on-ramp from Kendrick Street, with completed
permanent center median barrier:
Here's the
completed support work for the future on-ramp to I-95/128 North from
Kendrick Street:
Work is still
proceeding on the new Highland Avenue bridges and clearing for the new
ramp system from I-95/128 North:

Following the
Highland Ave. bridge, work is starting on extending the new median
barrier between Highland Ave. and the MA 9 exits:

A closer view of
the median barrier in place starting at the bottom of the hill (lane
split prior to MA 9 bridge still in place):

Work has started
in clearing away the rocks that stand in the way of the new fourth lane
approaching Route 9:

Looking at work
surrounding the MA 9 interchange. The additional fourth lane now begins
right after the MA 9 East off-ramp, within the construction zone:
Heading back
south, here's the approach to the MA 9 interchange showing new rock cut
along northbound lanes:
View looking
toward Highland Avenue from the top of the hill, showing work on
constructing permanent median barrier:
View of still
existing old Highland Avenue westbound bridge over I-95:
After the
Highland Avenue bridge, little additional work on noise barrier walls
between Highland Ave and Kendrick St, or median construction:

Approaching the
Kendrick St. bridge,showing progress in building the future on-ramps:
Here's a closer
look at the retaining walls north of Kendrick Street along I-95 South
(across median from I-95 northbound lanes):
Progress can be
seen in the future on-ramp retaining wall south of the bridge:
Here's a close
view of the work on the ramp itself to I-95 South:
Finally, a look
at lack of median work between Kendrick St. and the southern end of the
work zone:
Previous Photos:
April 24, 2016 (Dedham Section):
Some of the
recently placed signage at the exit ramps within the work zone. The
Route 109 off-ramps have an additional I-95 ground mounted trailblazer
sign, in addition to the auxiliary signs for Route 128. This is on West
109:

Heading east on
Route 109 there is an unusual, for recent installations, combination
I-95/128 South auxiliary trailblazer:

As can be seen in
the distance, there is another ground-mounted I-95 North guide sign,
along with the typical overhead sign, in the distance, and now close up:
The back of the
westbound version can also be seen on the left. Moving to the Great
Plain Avenue exit, there are several large Route 128 trailblazers that
tend to overwhelm the standard I-95 South green guide (paddle) signs.
Here's the signage at the northbound on-ramp:

It doesn't help
that the guide sign is partially obscured by other signage. Here's the
signage heading the other way into Needham:

Here the Route
128 sign is before the I-95 one, unlike in most other places. Here's a
closer look at the I-95 sign with Canton as the local destination:

Lastly, back
along I-95 there is an unusual, for recent installations, set of
reassurance markers for I-95 and Route 128 South that are posted after
crossing the Charles River bridge into Dedham:
These are on
separate posts, unlike all the other new reassurance markers put up
along this completed Add-A-Lane project section.
Previous Photos
Taken on April 2, 2016 (Needham Section):
Views of
construction progress heading south. The first shot is at the top of the
hill looking toward Highland Ave. showing progress in re-doing the
median:
Some progress has
been made in installing the permanent median barrier between the bridge
above and Highland Avenue:
Here's the view
at the bottom of the hill:
Work appears to
have slowed at the Highland Ave. bridge itself:
Here are new
views of the noise barrier supports going up between Highland Ave. and
Kendrick Street:
They continue on
toward Kendrick Street:
The noise barrier
will parallel the new off-ramp to Kendrick Street:
Here's a closer
look of the completed Kendrick Street bridge:
Work is
continuing to place the support wall along the future Kendrick Street
on-ramp to I-95/128 South:
No real progress
to be seen in median construction between Kendrick Street and the
completed section in Dedham:
Previous Photos
from Feb. 27, 2016:
A. Dedham
Section: Photo of the one North I-95/MA 128 reassurance marker
previously not taken on the January trip:
B. Needham
Section: Not much progress to report on the median work at the southern
end of the project in late February:
The last part of
the old Kendrick Street bridge has been taken down:
Progress has also
been made in completing the new Kendrick Street on-ramp beyond the
bridge:
Work on the
exterior appears to be nearing completion at the far end of the future
on-ramp:
There's also been
progress in building the permanent median barrier between the MA 9 and
Highland Avenue exits:
But not much new
to report at the northern end of the project approaching MA 9:
Photos Taken on
January 9, 2016:
A. Dedham
Section: Work seems almost completed (with the exception of one support
pole awaiting a new exit sign for US 1). Most orange barrels have been
removed and new I-95/128 trailblazers installed.
Here's one of the
two new trailblazers northbound, just after the Great Plain Avenue exit.
The new fourth lane
starts southbound just after the Railroad bridge before the Great Plain
Avenue exit:
The back of the
trailblazer in the first photo can be seen on the left. Here's the view
crossing the new four-lane Charles River bridge:

An 'Exit Only'
tab has been added to the first MA 135 exit sign after the bridge.
Here's a view (through a messy windshield) of the new South I-95/MA 128
trailblazer after the MA 135 exit in Dedham:

The re-opened
'Truck Turnout' is ahead. Here is a view of the opened 4-lanes prior the
MA 109 exit:

The new bridge
was finally completed in December, as shown by this closeup photo:

The last new
trailblazer follows the MA 109 East on-ramp (there's also a new one
after the exit northbound, not pictured):

B. Needham
Section: Work has progressed on building the new center median, the new
bridges over I-95 and the new interchange at Kendrick Street
A view of the
progress in median construction at the start of the construction zone on
I-95/128 North:
Work has not
started here on placing the permanent concrete median. As the signs say,
there's a lane shift approaching the Kendrick Street bridge, before the
Highland Avenue exit:

This is to allow
protection for workers building the new on-ramp at Kendrick Street.
Here's a closeup of the old bridge being dismantled:

On the other side
work is progressing in building the new on-ramp from Kendrick Street
with the steel supports for the roadway now in place:

They are also
making progress with the new Highland Avenue bridge at the exit itself:
Work has
commenced in placing a new center median north of the Highland Avenue
exit:
Installation of
the permanent concrete barrier has begun near the beginning of the hill,
as seen in this closer view:
As the signs
indicate, there's now a split in the northbound roadway approaching the
MA 9 exit, due to reconstruction of the I-95 bridge. There are two lanes
to the right and one along the old median to the left:
New temporary
ground-mounted signs have taken the place of the overhead signs for this
exit:
Heading back
south, here's the view from the top of the hill after entering Needham
following the MA 9 exit:
This is where the
permanent median barrier begins at this time. A view of the end of the
new barrier approaching the Highland Avenue exit:
And a look from
the north of the bridge construction at Highland Avenue:
The new bridge is
going up behind the old one, as are, as can be seen in the distance,
noise barrier walls:
The barrier will
parallel the old off-ramp from Highland Avenue and the new ramp to
Kendrick Street:
A closer look at
the new Kendrick Street bridge and supporting structure for the future
ramp:
The concrete
structure continues on the other side of the bridge tracing the path of
the future on-ramp:
There's also a
lane shift in this location matching that on the northbound side. A view
of the median work being done after the Highland Avenue exit:
The permanent
barrier is in place in this location, but not toward the end of the
construction zone approaching Great Plain Avenue:
Previous Photos,
Taken 10/22/15
A. Dedham
Section: All lanes are now open northbound, work continues southbound
but traffic is taking advantage of the cleared fourth lane.
Several views
of the open lanes heading northbound in Dedham:
The final lane
striping is all that is needed, and removing barrels from the breakdown
lane. Here's the view at MA 135:
They still
haven't gotten to removing the covering on the hidden Exit Only tab for
the Great Plain Ave. exit:
Turning around,
the start of the new four-lane section starts just before the railroad
bridge as you enter Dedham on I-95/128 South:
Meanwhile, near
Route 109 traffic is using the new fourth lane, even if its officially
not open:

B. Needham
Section-Work continues on the bridge and medians. Here's the start of
the newly installed permanent center concrete median barrier just beyond
Kendrick Street.
The median
barrier extends for about 3/4 of a mile more toward Great Plain Avenue:
Previous
Photos,Taken on October 1, 2015:
A. Dedham
Section: Work here is almost complete. Northbound they are putting on
the final layers of asphalt:

The lanes are
marked with temporary markers which do not distinguish between the open
lanes and the future, now breakdown lane, this leads to some vehicles,
such as the truck above, to use the lane outside the morning and
afternoon allowed time period (and even in a section not completely
tarred which has the breakdown lane marked).
A similar scene
northbound at the start of the near completed section north of Great
Plain Avenue:
While there are
no cars in the future fourth lane here, this changed as traffic backed
up by the MA 135 exit and many cars used it to get around slow left and
middle lane traffic.
It appears work
is almost complete on the southbound MA 109 bridge (above), once
finished they'll be able to open the fourth lane southbound.
B. Newton Section
Work is
proceeding in this section. Here's the scene approaching the Kendrick
Street Bridge northbound:
Not much progress
can be scene from the highway when compared to the previous photo taken
in July, much of the work is apparently on the bridge itself. Progress
can be seen though regarding the supports being constructed for the
future ramp from Kendrick Street:
There is also
progress to report on building the new Highland Avenue bridge:
A crane is
installing the decking for the new bridge behind the current one.
The biggest
change to report is at the north end of the project where the MA 9
interchange has been 'temporarily' reconfigured. The right-hand
cloverleaf ramps from East MA 9 to I-95 North and West MA 9 to I-95
South have been closed. Traffic now has to make a left turn and use the
preexisting ramps on the other side to access I-95. Here's some photos
taken from West 9 accessing I-95 South:

This is the first
temporary I-95 South trailblazer before the I-95/128 bridge. The bridge
will be expanded northbound to handle the additional lane.
Here's the next
two new trailblazers approaching the new traffic signals:

While most of the
overhead signs have been removed. The one at the ramp remains, though
with the previously right angled arrow repositioned to point straight
left:
In addition to a
trailblazer, there is also a portable variable message sign (VMS) at the
turn for the ramp. The VMS is the only remaining reference to Route 128
currently westbound on MA 9:
The new on-ramp
leads to a partially expanded existing on-ramp which, for now, requires
a merge to one lane shortly after the intersection with the previously
existing ramp:
Previous Photos,
Taken September 23, 2015:
MassDOT has
installed new D-6 Guide or 'Paddle' Signs at the East Street Interchange
at the Westwood/Dedham line:
Note the left
hand sign for I-95 South and that the sign for I-95 North/US 1 South has
no destinations. Similar sign for I-95 South:
There were no
trailblazers for Route 128 anywhere in the interchange area. Further
south, as part of the project that will reconstruct the I-95 and I-93
interchange, a new off-ramp has been built southbound for the University
Avenue/RR Station exit, with two new overhead signs. Here's the first:

Sorry for the
mid-morning glare. As you can see the new ramp will be served by its own
lane. Here's the other new BGS:

Work is still
ongoing to finish the ramp and the connection to University Ave and the
train station. All the old guide signs have been removed, but no
replacements have been put up for I-95 South, guess they figure everyone
know how to access the highway.
Photos Taken on
July 5, 2015:
As stated before,
completion of this section is being held up due to problems constructing
the new MA 109 bridge over I-95. Here's what the bridges look like
northbound:
Still substantial
work needs to be done to complete the MA 109 West bridge. The project is
largely complete though north of MA 109 to MA 135:
Work is still
continuing, judged by the remaining orange barrels, however, northbound
between MA 135 and Great Plain Ave.:

The final(?)
paving project is still going on near Great Plain Ave. and to the north:
Work though is
largely complete north to the railroad bridge:
Concrete median
barriers have now gone up along the final section of the project north
of the Railroad Bridge:
These barriers
appear on the right and in the median approaching the Kendrick Ave.
Bridge:
Work has started
to replace the Kendrick Avenue Bridge along the northbound side of the
highway:
In addition to
the bridge, a new interchange is to be built with Kendrick Street tying
in to the existing Highland Ave. exit. Here's the start of support
columns for the new ramp system:
Work has also
started between Highland Avenue and MA 9. Here's the view going up the
hill at the site of the former railroad bridge:
Here's looking
down from the crest of the hill toward the north end of the project at
the MA 9 interchange in Newton:
Southbound views,
taken the same day:
The temporary
exit signage at the start of the construction zone is replacing the
overheads in the same location, though wouldn't the exit sign be better
on the right, where the exit is?
Left side
construction barriers continue along the median by the Exit 20A ramp
through the lane-drop where construction on the additional lane will
start.
Construction has
started in the median starting downhill toward the Highland Avenue
interchange.
The taking out of
the railroad bridge also required removing the overhead signs for the
area, replaced by ground-mounted orange versions.

Approaching the
Kendrick Street bridge from the north showing the progress of widening
the road for the future bridge and highway lanes.
Mirroring
northbound, not much activity southbound except for new median barriers
between the Highland Avenue and Great Plain Avenue exits.
Work has
basically been completed prior to the railroad bridge in Dedham, the
future fourth lane striped as a breakdown lane.
A final coat of
asphalt is still needed between the Great Plain Ave. and MA 135 exits
crossing over the Charles River.
Both the
additional travel lane and exit-only lane before the MA 135 interchange
will be ready after an additional layer of pavement.
The road is ready
south of MA 135, but the additional lane is not open due to the
remaining issues in completing the MA 109 bridge (see photos below).
Previous photos,
taken on May 9, 2015:
Most of the
signage between Exits 15 and 18 has been replaced. Heading north, here
is the new overhead 1/2 Mile Advance sign for MA 109 East, with truck
restriction banner:
The lanes have
been reconfigured to have the new 4th lane end as an exit only lane at
MA 109 West, though there is only temporary lane ends signage, not
featured on the exit signs:
Here's a closeup
of the new MA 109 eastbound bridge, almost completed, the completion of
the westbound bridge being the last barrier to opening the additional
fourth lane through to Exit 18:

Here's the new 1
Mile Advance overhead for MA 135:
The new
additional 4th lane is to the right and is now complete between Exits 16
and 18, separated by a solid white line. Here's the next new 1/2 Mile
Advance for MA 135 and 1 Mile for Exit 18:
Followed up by
new exit signage at the MA 135 Ramp:
The last new
signs northbound feature covered over 'Exit Only' Banners, both at 1/4
Mile distance--
And at the ramp
itself:
Work has started
on constructing the remaining new lane segment northbound to MA 9. It
will be a few years before new signage is placed in this segment.
Meanwhile, some of the existing overhead gantries have been removed for
the current signage, here approaching Exit 19:
Heading
Southbound between Needham and Dedham:
The first of the
new overheads placed was for the 1/2 mile advance for Exit 18 Great
Plain Avenue:
Many of the new
signs for Exits 18 and 17 were put up during early 2014:
The other signs
for the MA 125 exit feature a space for new 'Exit Only' banner, here
empty:
While the other
is up, though the lane was not open at the time:
There was also an
1 Mile advance sign for MA 109 put up around the same time:
The remainder of
the MA 109 signage would wait until later in 2014. Here's one of the new
advance overheads for the MA 109 West Exit--
From July 2015,
here's the new assembly approaching the MA 109 bridge, both directions
still under construction:
A closer look at
the bridge itself:

While
here's a view of the final MA 109 exit sign:

There is also now
a new cantilever support post for a future US 1 Exit Advance sign:
Taken at Northern
End of Project in October 2013--

Approaching the
MA 109 bridge being reconstructed over I-95/128 North in Dedham at Exit
16A Off-Ramp.
A closer view of
the bridge construction. Construction was halted for a time in 2012 when
the contractors determined that the ground around the current bridge
could not support the new structure as it was then designed.
View heading
downhill on I-95/128 North in vicinity of MA 135 Exit, work had just
been completed on new bridge heading southbound opposite where this
photo was taken, could not get a daytime photo going the other
direction.
Taken
along I-95/128 North in January 2010--

Construction
almost complete beyond I-93 interchange in Canton. (1/2010)

New signage for
To 1A Exit 15B (No new sign yet for Exit 15B as of November 2013).
1/2010

New pull through
and Exit 15 B/US 1 Signage along I-95/128 North in Dedham (and ramp
signage above). (1/2010)
Taken Along
I-95/128 South in January 2010:
Pre-existing
overhead signage for US 1/MA 1A that had not been replaced as of January
2010. (1/2010)
Existing overhead
signage near bridge construction as part of I-95 Add-A-Lane Project in
early 2010. (1/2010)

New signage
placed at ramp for Exit 15A, To MA 1A, as part of Add-A-Lane Project in
early 2010. (1/2010)

New diagrammatic
overhead sign 2 miles before I-95/I-93 interchange in Dedham. (1/2010)

Image of new
overhead signage with rare 800 feet distance prior to Exit 13 on I-95
South/US 1 North. (1/2010)
Going Northbound Again, From February 2010:
Newly placed
overhead for Exit 14 and progress in building sound barrier wall along
I-95 North/US 1 South in Dedham. (2/2010)
New advance sign
for US 1 and ramp sign for East St/Canton St in February 2010 and sound
barrier construction. (1/2010)
C. New Signage Placed at I-95/128 Split in
Peabody in (Photos from June 2013)--

New diagrammatic
overhead with rare 1/3 mile distance on I-95/128 North in Peabody. Sign
was placed as part of project replacing exit signage along MA 128
between Peabody and Gloucester in 2012.

Downward arrow
per lane overhead signs at split of I-95 and MA 128 North in Peabody.
MUTCD guidance now calls for signs like this to have upward facing
arrows, MassDOT has not adopted this practice, unlike New Hampshire.
Visit the I-95 Exit List page to
check out the future exit numbers along that route.
(c) 2013-2020 Robert H. Malme